Apple iPad – Paul’s first thoughts

So the iPad presentation has just finished and all the news is out. We’ve been waiting days, week, months some even have been waiting years to get an announcement from Apple like the iPad today. In a way the iPad fills the gap between the iPhone and the MacBooks. In this article I’ll give my opinion based on what we’ve heard today from Steve Jobs. My own conclusion is that Apple had to announce a device that really drop all the jaws in the press-room. In this article I will point out my likes and dislikes based on what I know now about the iPad.

The “likes” of the iPad:

• It looks sexy. Although it’s more square than I’d though it would be. I had expected a device the size of an A4 paper, but the iPad is smaller. Nevertheless: the looks of the device are just amazing.

• It’s light – 1.5 Pounds (680 gram). This is of course very nice for when you would like to travel a lot with the iPad. The lighter the better and I think that 1.5 pound is really acceptable for a device with these capabilities.

• It’s got apps. All the popular iPhone / iPod Touch apps are also available on the iPad – This means that you can install from 140.000 applications directly when you unbox the device. I assume it’s possible to install all the applications you’ve purchased both on the iPhone and on the iPad at the same.

• It’s well-priced. Compared to the iPod Touch the iPad is very well priced. Where the iPod Touch really is a music-device, the iPad gives better browsing/email/e-book experience than the iPod Touch and the price difference isn’t really that much.

The “dislikes” of the iPad

• No Multitasking. The biggest problem I think is that the iPad – Just like the iPod Touch and iPhone – doesn’t seem to have multitasking – It’s not possible to keep an application open on the background of the iPad. This is really annoying when you’re using applications like Twittelator (a twitter app), Facebook, or Beejive (messaging).

• No OSX. I really like my iPhone and have not much to complain about it’s OS (apart form multitasking ), but it’s certain that OSX has just much more to offer than the iPhone OS. I belive the software inside the iPad is exactly the same as the software in the iPhone – and that’s what bothers me a bit. Imagine having the iPad with the ease of having apps available and the power of OSX Snow Leopard, this would make the iPad a REAL killer device.

• No Flash. Do I need to say more? Flash support isn’t available yet for the iPhone platform and therefore as far as I know the iPad won’t have flash-support.

• No Camera. How great would it be to have a front-camera in the iPad – For video conferencing. My Macbook Pro has a webcam and because so small you almost don’t even see it.

• No Wireless Sync. Syncing with iTunes goes via USB (via the power connector) and it’s sadly not possible to sync via Wifi or via Bluetooth. Who wants cables these days?

• No USB port. The only interfaces you’re getting is the internet and bluetooth. The iPad is perfectly for creating documents and has no option to have your files stored on a USB-stick.

Concluding Thoughts & Wrap-up

I am 100% sure the iPad will be a major success. Not because it’s an iPad but, because it’s got Apple written on it.
If Apple made a toaster (iToast) everyone would buy one, probably including me.

The iPad isn’t really a revolutionary device. It’s got the same applications an iPhone has; the same touchscreen only larger and basically that’s it.
The only added value I really see that the iPad has over my iPhone is the convenience of e-book reading (Because of the larger screen). I can imagine Apple want to use the AppStore to it’s max and therefore make the iPad run all the great application we find in the AppStore, but that doesn’t need to be a reason that we can’t have OSX on the iPad right? If the iPad had the advantages of running apps and running OSX – it would be THE jaw-dropping device we’ve all been waiting for.